Surviving the Apocalypse

Buying a Mine

Hanna had spent a relaxing night in a hotel downtown, knowing full well the next day she would need to begin taking care of business as far as establishing a survivors Camp. The first order of business, finding somewhere that she could secure and had natural defenses. So, she went to a realty office that said it specialized in unique properties that was only a few blocks from the hotel. Close enough that she decided to walk to the office so she could carefully look at what they had on display before she even entered.

Sure enough, when she got to the office she knew it was the place. There were dozens of listings plastered all over the window for people walking past to see, one of them catching her eye as she remembered what had happened a few years earlier. Her class had been on a field trip to a mine, a cave in stopping their tour just as they began getting off the bus. As the flashback passed, she realized the exact mine was now up for government liquidation sale. The entire site and equipment listed for just ¥2,000,000, which surprised her as it came with nearly 2,000 acres of land that included the mountain itself and several farmlands that surrounded it. On a flyer right next to the one she was looking at, was a dilapidated warehouse that had clearly seen better days. It was right across a bridge from the mine, both on the far outskirts of the valley itself where few of any people lived. It was part of the same sale, split to try and attract more attention. Priced at ¥3,000,000, she knew she wanted it as well as she walked in to hear a man yelling at the receptionist before he stormed out the front doors.

Hanna walked over to the display of flyers, the inside showing the same exact ones as on the outside. She took both of them down before she walked up to the woman's desk and smiled. "Perhaps you can help me, I would like to purchase these two properties." she said warmly as the young woman looked at her.

"My boss is the one who does the showings, and I am not-" she began as Hanna stopped her.

"I don't need to see them, and if that man is your boss, I might have the perfect solution for you." she said as the woman looked at the two properties and smiled.

"I can most certainly assist you with these properties. As Government liquidation sales, all funding must be in credits, is that an issue?" she asked before she started.

"I can pay in full now if you wish to process payment first." Hanna told her as the woman's fingers began flying.

"Not at all, just needed to verify it. Can I have your identification card?" the woman asked before Hanna could get it and hand it to her.

An hour later she swiped her bank card through the reader, the account one she had opened through the military and was directly connected to her trust fund that was backed by a stock portfolio worth billions. It was one she was currently liquidating, despite the advice of her finance advisor that she actually liked. She had told him with what was coming, they needed what she was buying more than they needed pieces of paper that would be worthless in a month.

Monica Harper was a little surprised when it turned green within seconds, her commission already appearing in her account seconds later. She smiled as the receipt printed and she marked all of the files for submission to the proper places to record the transfer of the deeds. "Is there anything else I can help you with?" she asked as Hanna smiled.

"Actually, I think I need to help you now." Hanna said kindly. "I could use someone with your talents and I am sure I am a far better boss than the one you have." she said as Monica blushes a little before nodding.

"I cannot risk my housing though and he is my landlord." she admitted quietly.

"My offer comes with housing, so it wouldn't be an issue." Hanna said grabbing a card from the stack before she flipped it over and wrote her number on it. "No pressure, but if you want a change from what this is, give me a call. When s**t hits the fan, remember this mine. You will be able to find safety there." she told her while holding the card out.

Monica slowly took it, sliding it into her pocket just as the back door slammed open and she winced. "Thanks for this, I will think about it seriously." she said before Hanna nodded and walked out of the office.

She knew she only had 26 days to make all of her plans, which wasn't a hell of a lot of time. Especially when she knew she needed to secure the mine and begin construction on perimeter defenses and everything else. She however had an idea that would make it easier, as she used the mine and warehouse to create a fake company that she would be able to hire people through the end of the world. She posted the job openings on every employment site in the city, wanting as many people as she could get.

Her second stop was at a dealership that specialized in cargo vehicles, her system having given her a quest to obtain at least one truck with a capacity of 1,500 cubic feet. She was walking around browsing the selections when she saw exactly what she wanted. They had 6 M380 Cargo haulers that were military surplus, each one of them with 1,800 cubic feet of storage space. Before you even attached a trailer that was the same size. As she looked she saw that they even had an M420 Tanker that could hold 10,000 gallons of fuel on its own, as well as a trailer with a 15,000 gallon capacity. Each one was a 6×6 with a winch capable of hauling them out of any situation they might get stuck in.

"Anything I can help you with ma'am?" the salesman Richard asked making her look at him.

"Yes, I would like to purchase all six of your M380's as well as both of those M420's as well." she told him as he nodded.

"Is this a personal sale or a business?" he asked as she looked at him with a smile.

"Business, Hanna Storm with Storm Enterprises." she said introducing herself and holding out her hand.

"Richard Michaels, what kind of business are you getting into?" he asked her offering to take her into the office to complete the transaction.

"Complicated to explain as we will be doing a lot of different things, transportation of goods is just one of them." she answered following him to the building that was full of desks and salespeople that were ordering all types of cargo trucks.

It was late afternoon when she finally pulled into where the mine was located, surprised that the fence already surrounding it was sturdy. She however knew it would need massive upgrades, some of the supplies already in her new truck to do just that. She had bought a lot of supplies at the store that had been next to the dealership, most of it equipment that would make life after the apocalypse better for those in her camp. She had been given a bunch of keys for the buildings and equipment that was already here, as it had been forcibly shut down and operations suspended after a cave in had killed 63 miners.

As she was walking around the site, she heard the echoing voices of people exiting the mine, all of them covered in dust that suggested they were excavating inside the mine. She waited at the entrance, knowing that it was the only way in or out of the shaft itself.

"Evening." she said as the men exited and saw the truck.

All 4 men paled as they turned and looked at her, all of them knowing that she could ruin their lives. "Evening." the oldest of them replied nervously.

"Anything interesting down there?" she asked pleasantly.

The four men looked at each other, each of them wondering how loaded her question was. "There is a lot of stuff down there people might find interesting. We however aren't interested in any of that, we only want to recover our kin and lay them to rest properly." the old man told her as she nodded.

She remembered hearing that the mine had become a Camp in the early years last time, eventually being overrun by the zombies contained within the mine. "Gentlemen, I have no issues with you doing that. As the new owner, you have permission to do whatever you need to lay your loved ones to rest. I do however have a proposition for you, if you would be interested."

"What kind of proposal?" the old man asked.

Hanna stood up as she looked around. "I am going to be developing this old mine into something useful for the future. If you help me do that, you will have a place here and be allowed to recover your loved ones." she said vaguely not wanting to alarm them yet.

"What exactly are you planning, most of us have other jobs and do this when we have the time to spare." one of the younger men said.

Hanna nodded as she looked at them, knowing that what she was proposing would be hard for people to accept. "I am planning on making this site into a survivors Camp for when the world as we know it ends in 26 days. Anyone who will aid in that endeavor, will have a place here. As far as employment, we can work something out that way. There will be a lot of work happening in the next month and we need just about every expertise you can imagine."

The old man looked at the others, not sure if she was pulling their leg or not. "What makes you think it will happen in that timeframe? We could build what you want and have absolutely nothing happen."

Hanna chuckled as she regarded them. "My name is Hanna Storm, believe me or not, I won't waste my breath trying to convince you. Let's just say I have some insight into what is going to happen, and it isn't going to be pretty for anyone that isn't prepared. Either way, it will be happening in this very place as I now own the entire thing. It all depends on how much you want to lay your loved ones to rest. If you help me now, I will help you later. If not, there is the gate, go through it and don't return." she told them bluntly.

"Peter Black, I used to be a foreman of this mine. Let's say we decide to help you and nothing happens, what then?" he asked her.

"Mr. Black, I have the resources to reopen this mine if nothing happens. If I am wrong, I will pay you to do that very thing. The first order of business reinforcing the shafts so we can safely excavate the cave in and rescue the trapped bodies before we process even one ounce of ore. If it does happen however, believe me you will count your blessings to have a safe place before it happens."

"How exactly is the world supposed to end? Damian Howard." he said nodding to her as she nodded back.

"In 20 days there will be an explosion in a viral storage lab. The evacuation will be massive, the people relocated all over the globe. One of the virus' in that vault will merge with the Coronavirus that is spreading, creating a plague that reanimates the dead into mindless zombies with only one thing on their agenda. Eating living flesh.

It will sweep the globe within 3 days, toppling governments as every human city, town and village becomes overrun by the dead. The virus is so lethal, one bite from one of them will turn a living person into an undead monster within minutes." she told them sure of what was coming. So confident that the 3 older men all nodded in belief. "So, you have a choice to make for you and your families. Either is a risk, but the option where you join me is the less risky one in my opinion."

Peter looked at them, the other two who had worked with him in the mines before nodding before he turned to her. "We are in, what do we need to do?" he asked her.

"Like I said, there is a lot that needs done. Anyone you can recruit to our cause will be welcome as well. The immediate task is setting the Camp up to be self sustaining in the next 3 weeks. So we will need construction teams, drivers, just about everything you can imagine." she told them bluntly as the sun began to set. "Tomorrow morning I have a lot of things to do to prepare, so if you want to bring anyone willing back here tomorrow evening, we can begin." she said as the other 7 trucks arrived from the dealership. Robert the salesman driving her own car into the lot with his boss driving a small bus to drive them all back.